The end of 2019 is fast-approaching. I find this to be a good time to reflect on my successes and my key learnings (note, I didn’t use the “F” word – that is “Failures”) from the past year. “Lisa, how will you sharpen your focus, deepen your awareness of others, and improve the value you bring to your clients moving forward?” It’s like a little dose of humility and hope.
According to the American Optometric Association, “20/20 vision” is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. This is seeing what IS, in fact, THERE.
Imagine if we all had 20/20 vision about ourselves as leaders – seeing clearly what IS, in fact, THERE. We would be aware of our natural preferences and tendencies at work. We would understand why we approach our tasks and relationships with peers or team members a particular way. We would be sensitive to those moments when our natural impulse is NOT going to have the most impact, and we would adjust our response. We would know if we have workaholic tendencies, and we would do some soul-searching about how that came to be – and perhaps learn some skills around time management and delegation in order to regain our work-life balance. Imagine!
20/20 vision is also about seeing clearly what IS, in fact, THERE, about our team members. Who are they, really? What makes them tick? Why do they behave the way they do at work? In what ways are they different from each other? How does your leadership style affect them – in good and not-so-good ways? Is there a better way for you to work with them that would bring out the best in them? How do you need to adjust to each individual on your team?
There are many ways to improve our ability to clearly see our self and others. As we roll toward the end of 2019 and into 2020, how will you sharpen your focus as a leader? Let’s work toward 20/20 vision for 2020!
